INSIGHT

I just came back from seeing Madagascar, and I don’t mean the newly-released movie of the same name.

The real Madagascar is a stunningly beautiful island that drifted away from other land masses 160 million years ago...

When I set my clock forward, I also set my mind forward, in the spirit of anticipation. For me, Spring is a season full of promise. The branches are still naked and only the most precocious plants dare to emerge from the earth.

We are the 2.1 million. And yes, we are also urban dwellers. Village people live smaller, closer and drive less than the nation as a whole.

It’s a rare thing to find an owner who welcomes additional government regulations limiting their autonomy.  It’s even rarer to find an owner who would not like 40% of their money back on a major project...

Occupy the Valley! Occupy the Urban Infill Lot! Occupy the Vineyard, the Forest Clearing, the Canal Edge, the Neighborhood! This kind of Occupation requires no plaques and no speeches. It makes only one demand – the demand to listen to the land, first.

“Think Global, Act Local” goes the saying.  And it’s usually true that we most effectively impact positive change at the local level.

A great farmers’ market has the power to strengthen neighborly bonds by providing a regular, informal meeting place where trust can be developed. It helps build pride when residents see a vibrant market teeming with shiny, happy people carrying bouquets and baguettes.

The rule for neighborhoods and their venerable houses is the same as that which guides the evolution of species – Survival of the Fittest. Houses which do not evolve to meet the changing needs of their occupants perish.

On a recent winter’s day, stretched parallelograms of sunshine track slowly across the bamboo floor of my renovated kitchen, marking time’s slow passage.

Last week, and only four days apart, two major league baseball pitchers performed the rare feat of throwing a zero hitter. Their performances – and the publicity they generated – proves the power of zero to capture the public’s imagination (as well as a certain victory).

Every product claims to be “green” these days. You can eat chips out of “biodegradable” bags, swaddle your infant in “pure and natural” diapers or buy doll accessories made from scrap and recycled materials.

Talk is cheap, but building is not. Some of you have asked me to stop talking about building small and show an example of a small, sustainable home. Fair enough.

A handy, if unauthorized, subtitle for the New York State Building Code might be “The Absolute Least You Can Do Without Breaking The Law”.